Coworkings are still on the rise and people from startups, freelancers, and corporates are moving in.
To all my fellow coworkers - do you actually like working there? Why/ why not?
Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
1–10 of 162 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#2I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#3I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee.
Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#4No. I enjoy working absolutely alone. I rent a private office now. If I wanted people in my work space, I wouuldn't go full remote in the first place.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#5I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
I often use a cafe which is focused on playing tabletop games etc. Food/drink is extremely overpriced but with the understanding that you're really buying time and they just have a "don't be a dick" rule that you really ought to be buying something ~once/hr
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#6I dislike coworking spaces. For a solo developer, they offer a lot of distraction. You're stuck in one place which defeats the purpose of getting out of the house for inspiration. For a team, it becomes very hard to create company culture. It feels like you're an empire without a fortress. I'd rent an apartment over a coworking any day for the team.
What I now tend to prefer are other cafes frequented by other designers and developers, or new private member clubs. These clubs offer a lot of stimulus for freelancers and you're surrounded by people of various different fields, which sparks interesting discussions.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#7I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
Cafes like Starbucks were designed for squatting though. It's not like coffee was meant to be that expensive; it includes rent.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#8I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
I completely agree with you, so what I do is to find cafes that are not very popular which is probably a win-win: I hate sitting in packed cafes and the smaller cafe sells some more coffee+snacks by doubling as my office.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#9I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
Not sure I get the argument. Cafe owners seem to be looking for the types that come in regularly, spend a lot, and stay a while. Why else offer WiFi at all? Turn off public WiFi and this customer type will go elsewhere.
Re: Ask HN: Do you enjoy working in a coworking space?
#10I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
Not entirely. The guys is a frequenter which means recurring revenue, and making the cafe look lively is something that gives it social proof.
If the place has such a problem, they can mitigate it ofc. For example, you can limit the chargers for example (or arrange tables in a fashion that would limit it). Then the amount of squatters would be limited.
Also, as another commenter said, you can just turn the wifi down (or limit the time). You can even charge for the wifi.